Gloucester City 4 Gainsborough Trinity 1

Monday, 15 August 2016 09:15
Written by wds

Gainsborough Trinity conceded four goals away from home for the second time in four days as Gloucester City made Trinity pay for sloppy defending and a failure to take the chances they were presented with. Inside eight minutes, Trinity had the chance to settle any nerves left over from the Alfreton defeat on Tuesday. Nathan Jarman blazing his spot kick over the bar after Gavin Rothery had picked out the run of Ashley Worsfold, who turned the full back inside out before winning the penalty.

As it was, Trinity were to pay the ultimate penalty, falling a goal behind after a pulsating open thirty minutes or so where the game swung from end to end. Joe Parker was on hand to sweep the ball past Jake Eastwood to put the hosts a goal to the good after confusion in the visiting defence. Ed Williams winning the ball back, before squaring to Parker who netted his second of the season, unchallenged.

Moments later though and Trinity were back on level terms, a Matt Thornhill freekick deceiving everyone, including Jas Singh in the Gloucester goal to get the blues right back into it. Now with a foot hold in the game, Gainsborough began to dominate large periods of play, without really threatening Singh’s goal, but it was the hosts who went in at the break with their noses in front. The Gainsborough rear-guard getting caught out all too easily by a clipped Chris Knowles through ball, expertly diverted over Eastwood by the Man of the Match Ed Williams.

Dominic Roma looked to mix things up at the break, swapping the workmanlike Worsfold for the pace of Thewlis, but it was a Gloucester substitute who was to settle the game, only on for a matter of minutes before a mazy run by Luke Hopper put the game beyond doubt. Carrying the ball in from the right hand edge of Trinity’s box, he slalomed past several challenges before firing past Eastwood from a seemingly impossible angle.

As frustration in the Trinity camp grew, they looked to be thrown a life line, when Gloucester’s Spencer Hamilton was shown a second yellow card for handball, but despite being down to ten men, the side from Lincolnshire couldn’t find a way through. With Trinity still pushing forwards, Gloucester pressed high, won the ball back and wrapped the game up, with Hopper squaring for Williams, to take a touch before dispatching a composed finished past the exposed Eastwood.

Trinity now return to the Martin & Co Arena for two home games, looking to make the most of home comforts as they go in search of their first win of the 2016/17 campaign.